Boredom Kills
by Jess Brook
Summary: Tony Stark is left alone and bored little more than a year after the events of the first avengers film. Filled with a lust for danger and challenge he hadn't faced since an idea occurs to him that could possibly be the one thing too impossible for him to manage. Rated M for possible Slash.
1. Chapter 1

**Tony Stark -**

I watched dull grey sky of the day warring with the bold lighting of Stark towers interior, it was a losing battle. Glints of gleaming light seemed to hit the droplets of water playing chase on the window and shatter into thousands of little beams out into the world, consuming any darkness that threatened the place. Truly the only threat the weather could offer to me was the sound of water splattering the glass but, no. It was just another reminder that if that foot deep glass cracked it would be my skin taking that battering instead.

No. I shook my head, brain seeming slightly clearer for it. This is what I got for taking a rum and coke and Pepper would be on my back over it, if she was here. She'd said something about a conference in LA this morning, probably a weekend thing.

"Jarvis, hit me up with play list one." I called, pulling myself away from the scene out of the window and heading vaguely towards the sofa. In fact I didn't even give him time to reply before I added "Loud" wearily to the air. As usual the slightly mechanical manager of the building replied cheerily "As you wish Sir." Moments afterwards the air around me began to vibrate with the gentle piano notes, didn't take long to rack my brains for the title.

Evanescene – Bring me to life. A dull chuckle escaped my lips while I mulled the lyrics over my ear much as a wine taster would his palate while throwing myself at the cushions of the sofa, damaging little more than the springs as I connected with it. I could empathise a little, after last year and the forming of the avengers; it's a near impossibility to top that sort of challenge isn't it really? Once you've thrown a demi god back to the right side of hell, what was there left of the bucket list? I can tell you there isn't.

No, since Loki it's been, boring. He brought the danger and challenge I'd lusted over and extinguished it equally quickly leaving on the ashes of disappointment behind. He was meant to be the impossible, the one we just couldn't beat and we'd crushed him in the end. What was the point when even the sky posed no upper limit of challenge? And why did I want something harder when he'd so easily nearly killed us all? Why was the idea of Loki coming back stronger not one that scared me enough to need another drink but one that made my heart feel as if it wanted free from the chest in excitement?

Because I was an idiotic genius and the alcohol made me a suicidal idiot genius. Mix boredom into that formula and you may as well dig my grave into the ground now. And just like that, another little spark hit me: A way to get what I needed, to get my danger and up the stakes a bit, bring back the 'impossibility' into the mix that had waned before.

Bouncing up from the sofa I literally bounded towards the setup of terminals Pepper had referred to as something nearly an office. Twisting on my heels I turned to face them, fingers sliding expertly over the projections of menus. The melancholy that had covered my face for months had simply dissolved, replaced with fire and passion once more. I'd found a game, one that had been literally under my nose all this time. Obviously I'd written the script ages ago, it'd been a safety net to gather the avengers at short notice but, with just a touch of fiddling, well it was special.

The grin was more than firm set on my features as I slid the last variable into place, estimating I had a good 24 hours before Fury worked out what it was and where it came from. Tapping my foot to the tune of 'I write sins not tragedies' which had appeared next on the play list I held a couple of buttons down "Jarvis, wakey wakey, activate the ICE contact runtime." My words came over more a gleeful lilt than anything. His came back, not so much.

"Are you sure Sir, initiation of the Argon transmitter while the poles aren't-"Rolling my eyes I cut in "Yes I'm sure, get on with it." It might have been clipped but it was obviously effective, within little more than a moment I could physically feel the arc core under the building begin to almost vibrate in effort to complete the task. It was probably the most exertion I'd ever put it through all at once, realistically if I wasn't so full of danger lust I could have recalibrated it to even the system load but, waiting wasn't an option.

Suddenly the air felt heavy, it was only for a second but it felt much like the force of gravity had increased. I can only relate it to how heavy I feel in the Mark 2 Iron suits, as if the ground is drawing me in to it, and then it passed. The echoing voice that seemed to come from every direction remarked levelly.

"ICE Contact Runtime completed Sir. All systems are in order however there is a disturbance on the landing pad that requires your attention." My elation grew along with my small winding of fear in my throat, not that you'd know it while I casually replied.

"Thanks, I'm on it. Turn the music off would you?" With that I headed towards the elevator, on my way to whatever was on the landing pad.


	2. Chapter 2

When the hand that tortures, the flame that burns and the voice that threatens become a gleeful fantasy you know why they say solitary confinement is the worst form of torture.

I'd been stuck in the darkness for more moons than I could remember, without words. I hadn't spoken for fear of retribution so ingrained into me, well no, I hadn't spoken to encourage them to believe my fear. They hadn't bothered with the gag since the tribunal ordered my debt to be paid in screams drawn from my lungs rather than money or labour. The embarrassment to Odin, the son not quite of Asgard who went and ruined everything.

No, the darkness wasn't comforting. The loneliness was crushing even to someone stunned previously, it was as if time was on hold in the space I occupied. It didn't, I'd just been stuck here. Funnily nobody quite knew what to do with me.

So this would be why I was more than slightly shocked when the heaviness surrounded me, the light, an unfamiliar power almost. For a moment I'd been convinced I'd imagined it, that nothing had happened but no, I dragged open the eyes that I'd barely bothered using to be burnt by the light surrounding me.

It was, I inhaled, outside. It was cold and I was outside, in the light but not in Asgard, no. I looked around entirely, I was high on a tower and then it all came together in my head. Stark Tower, Earth and that arrogant man he'd spared with, the one that escaped his grasp. What was he doing here, had I been summoned? Probably not, he was one of the Avengers, unlikely to want anything to do with me. Unless- Oh.

He was bored. The genius in his tower was bored, collar by that insufferable Fury that had gagged him similarly. Not that they were similar in any other aspect but, yes he could see it. Boredom had driven him to extremes, breaking the rules and finding danger or maybe help where he could. No matter, I wasn't game. He'd been half the reason I'd spent the last moons in a dark room without a silvered tongue or scepter. Once an enemy, always one.

With that the door at the end opened, revealing the same vain man complete with a grin of epic proportions, fool.

"Nice to see you Loki." Stark grinned, eyes glinting with primal excitement in an almost sickening sense as I drew up from the crouch I'd arrived in.

"I'd have dressed up if I knew I was off to see the great Mr Stark." I lilted, sarcasm dripping from my words along with the soft smirk. No he would have to try better than that.

He kept approaching, pausing a few feet before me, a good few inches shorter without the suit. Tony looked almost scruffy as the light wind blew his hair across his face but none of it seemed to dull whatever was going on in his mind.

"Looks like the Asgardian don't quite pamper their prisoners, sorry about that." if you'd been watching us from afar you'd assume the topic of conversation was little more than light hearted banter, rather than the warring of words, no you'd never believe it if you could hear the words uttered under the pleased expressions.

"No, they don't." I stated coolly, flicking a greasy strand of hair away from my face where it was landed. "I assume I'm here for a reason other than a chat and since you've come without the armour I assume it doesn't involve killing me." The words flowed as I stepped forward a pace to meet him, ready to assert dominance of the man. So I'd been confined to the darkness for however long and slightly unsteady, but on my death bed I would be worth 3 of Tony Stark, he was little more than the mud off the bottom of my shoes.

"I'm not objecting to killing you but-" Tony's voice was trite, extending his words for their sarcastic purposes, and pulling a false frown in a facade of upset, pretending that killing me would hurt him like killing a good friend. "I really want to pick your brains, and you're going to help me." he stated, not even a quiver of doubt in the fact I would be willing to hand over knowledge to him, fool. He could sent me on a one way train back to my cell if he wanted me to fix the petty planet for him.

"And if I object to helping you?" I asked, almost a threat on my tongue "They've done much worse than kill me, so you can take that suit of iron to me all you please, Mr Stark." I hissed, still managing to keep up the steady smile though, and it still looked like polite conversation as I stepped off past him. It was a twofold action, one I needed to stretch and two it undermined him and his 'palace'. If he thought his concrete walls and Arc core would hold me to him he had a big shock coming.

"You'll want to help me, I can give you something you'd want" Stark stated, spinning on his heels to face me with that massive grin, he was playing his hand and something about his body language suggested it was going to be a full house. "I can put you back anywhere, not just whichever dungeon I dragged you from." With that he came passing beside me, eyes locked on me.

"Deal, Mr Laufeyson?"

_Author notes: Again I'm afraid it's slightly short, but tough, I'm lazy but this is the second bit for today so you can't realllllyyyy complain, but you can try. I promise it will heat up soon, as in something more exciting than mental sparing, but there will be a lot of that too! So yes, I love you all please review and set alerts if you like it or not!_

_Also excuse the many spelling mistakes I'm sure slipped that net!_


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